You don't need fancy sound healing instruments to balance your chakras with sound. You can actually use your own voice with vowel sounds and tones to balance them.

Try this as part of your daily meditation. The image to the left shows the specific vowels for each chakra. Chant each vowel sound, drawing it out for as long as you can and adjust your pitch/tone until you feel a rumble in that chakra. For each chakra, chanting it three times works well before moving on to the next.

Root chakra - "Uh" as in duhSacral chakra - "Oo" as in youSolar plexus chakra - "Oh" as in goHeart chakra - "Ah" as in crawThroat chakra - "Eye" as in cryThird eye chakra - "Ay" as in sayCrown chakra - "Eee" as in bee

​Steeped in Gold Rush lore, Southern Oregon and Northern California are the site of numerous haunts associated with legends of the Wild West. In mid-July and early August, I embarked on two road trips that took us into the heart of Gold Rush country and straight into the haunted history of Southern Oregon and Northern California.

Oregon Caves Chateau, Oregon Caves National Monument

Built in 1934, the Chateau at Oregon Caves is a rustic 6-floor (three stories in the front and six floors in the back) lodge right across from the caves themselves, which you can explore on a guided tour during the summer months. The road to the caves is winding and steep, but its easily accessed every summer by thousands of vehicles filled with families eager to explore the caves.

The exterior of the Chateau is cedar bark, giving it a rustic appearance. Inside, giant log posts support the structure, and the designers brought the outdoors in with wooden beams, stone fireplaces, and wooden floors and staircases. In the lobby, giant windows look out on a vast expanse of towering evergreens.

The Chateau is an old building, and it’s ready for refurbishment. In fact, 2018 is its final summer for a few years. Staff members told us it was closing for the next two years to refurbish it, but it will reopen for the summer season of 2020.

The Chateau at the Oregon Caves is closing after the 2018 season until 2020 for refrubishment

Like many old, rustic buildings, the Chateau has its own haunting tale, which surrounds the rooms on the third floor. Rumor has it that on the third floor, a new bride either jumped or was pushed to her death out a window when she found her new husband in a passionate embrace with a Chateau employee.

Guests and employees report the bride, Elizabeth, as an unhappy and unfriendly ghost who is heard moaning and crying in closets, empty rooms, and hallways on the third floor.

No historical records show of any deaths at the Chateau, and the sad new bride who kills herself is a popular origin story for ghosts in all kinds of haunted locations. So while proof is low, anecdotal reports run high. Many people believe something supernatural occurs on the third floor.

Jim and I stayed in a third floor room (in fact, I was in the room next to where the bride supposedly killed herself). And while I have no proof there is any haunting, there are two incidents somewhat of interest. First, every time I stepped onto the third floor, I was uncharacteristically angry, and that anger continued until I left again. Additionally, when Jim and I were in our room changing clothes so we could go on our cave tour, our door opened itself. That’s not to say it wasn’t improperly latched, but again, it’s interesting but inconclusive.

Regardless of whether the Oregon Caves Chateau is haunted, it is worth a visit just for the cave tour. Tours will be open during construction on the Chateau, and the Chateau re-opens for the summer of 2020. More information: http://www.oregoncaveschateau.com

The House of Mystery at the Oregon Vortex. Please, for the love of God, do what the sign says and hold onto the rails. Photo by Kristen Gray.

​House of Mystery, Oregon Vortex

If Zak Bagans is to be believed, he is the chosen one because a bird pooped on him at the Oregon Vortex. That’s right – last season Ghost Adventures filmed at this well-known Southern Oregon tourist attraction. As the story goes, the forces in the vortex are so powerful, there are no animals that will come within the most intense sections, which is why a bird pooping on someone is apparently an indication of the supernatural. With me so far?

I kid, Zak Bagans, I kid. Kind of.

But visit the Oregon Vortex we did (I watched the GA about it after my visit). The House of Mystery is a small one-room cabin that slid down a hill, so it’s embedded at a slant in the ground. But, it sits smack in the middle of the Oregon Vortex, a place where mysterious forces screw with physics.

Visitors are only allowed on group tours where scripted guides offer demonstrations to show how people’s height changes on level ground and other funky phenomena. They also tell ghost stories about how it is haunted by John Lister, an owner of the property who is said to have performed hundreds if not thousands of physics experiments at the Vortex, so fascinated was he with the property.

The Vortex is slightly interesting – probably more so with a skilled and entertaining guide, and the physics effects while subtle are interesting. If you’re prone to motion sickness, I recommend avoiding stepping into the crooked house because it can mess with your sense of spatial perception, but if you start to feel wonky, step to the window and look out it at the horizon. It should calm you right down.

I will say that on the property, I definitely felt odd. There was some kind of a shift. My friend Kristen felt something similar; it was as if gravity was a bit heavier there or something. We saw no evidence of ghosts.

The House of Mystery at the Oregon Vortex is worth a visit as a curiosity, but don’t expect a bird to poop on your head unless you, too, are the chosen one.

Nestled in Southern Oregon southwest of Medford, Jacksonville is an adorable Gold Rush town that has preserved its historic buildings beautifully. The main drag is now mostly upscale touristy shopping, but it’s cute as can be and gives you a little taste of the Wild West.

The town has haunted trolley tours, and the Jacksonville Inn is reported to be haunted, as well. We didn’t experience anything there, but we had a lovely chat with a man at the historical society who told us all about the town back in its Gold Rush days, and we enjoyed the rustic and beautiful buildings. It’s worth visiting if you’re in the area.

Located about 30 minutes north of Grants Pass right along I-5, the Wolf Creek Inn is a historic and picturesque inn on a lovely and peaceful piece of property. It has nine guest rooms, and the owners have done a fantastic job of preserving its historic character, including a room frequented by Clark Gable appropriately called the Clark Gable Room and another frequented by Jack London called – you guessed it – the Jack London Room. Others who have stayed included Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, John Wayne, and Orson Wells. And, of course, Karen Frazier. I’m pretty sure they’re going to name a room after me.

The Inn was built in 1883 as a stage coach stop along the Applegate Trail, and it boasts nine guest rooms and beautifully preserved public areas. It also has a restaurant that makes tasty food, and the rooms are, quite frankly, adorable.

It turns out Wolf Creek Inn was another haunt featured on Ghost Adventures last season; I watched it after our trip to see what all the hubbub was about. According to GA, the inn and area are haunted by some kind of vampire creature. So I saw no sign of that in case you were wondering, and if I did, I’d imagine I’m one of the undead now and wouldn’t tell you if I was because I want to be able to surprise my victims. But I digress…

Other reports of hauntings include Jack London, who loved it so much he spent a summer there writing a book, and a female stage coach driver who dressed as a man calling herself One Eyed Charlie.

I was unaware of these legends when I entered the hotel, and the first thing I saw was a woman that was a man. But that was just in my head and I immediately dismissed it until I heard the whole one-eyed Charlie story.

My friend Kristen Gray who was with me on the trip talked to the innkeeper, who took over after GA filmed there. She said things were pretty stirred up for a while and a lot of weird stuff happened, but that she just talked to them as she went about her business and things calmed down.

Points of interest for people interested in ghosts include the Jack London Room, the Clark Gable Suite, and the second floor ballroom.

While we didn’t have any haunted experiences, we loved the hotel. It’s charming, the service is good, and it has really good food. The room rates are reasonable, as well. I recommend going and staying for the charm and history – and maybe a ghost or two.

I’ve got to say – it seems as if we were unintentionally walking in the footsteps of Zak and the Ghost Adventures gang on our Southern Oregon road trip in early July. Because surprise, surprise; they went to Golden, Oregon, as well.

Golden is a ghost town about five miles from the Wolf Creek Inn along a shady tree-lined country road. It was settled near Coyote Creek during the Gold Rush in the 1840s, first as a gold miners’ camp and then a Chinese miners camp. Later, a Campbellite church was built along with a general store, a school, and a minister’s house.

So picturesque is the abandoned ghost town, Bonanza filmed there (the fake graveyard they added still stands next to the church), and well, so did Ghost Adventures. Guess what I watched when I got home?

Currently, the school, general store, church, outhouse, and minister’s house still stand. You can go in the church and the school, but the other buildings are pretty dicey including an outhouse that’s about to fall over but is shored up by a few long planks. Feel free to use it if you like that sort of thing. (I’m kidding. Do NOT go use the outhouse and say, “Karen Frazier told me to,” or they won’t name a room after me at the Wolf Creek Inn.)

Inside the church in Golden. I was not possessed by anything except the urge to lounge in a sunbeam.

Reports include a dark energy in the church (I bet you can’t guess who, on a certain television show, was possessed from the moment he entered there) and some kids in the schoolhouse. GA also reported some kind of demonic activity in the woods. I saw no evidence of that, but I wasn’t there long.I thought Golden was lovely and historic. It was picturesque, pretty, and I didn’t experience a thing. That’s not to say you won’t. Go visit. It’s a great little piece of history and a fun ghost town with a few buildings to explore.More information: https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=189

I’m pretty sure everyone has heard of this place – or at least dedicated ghost people have. It’s on the bucket list of many.

Kristen, Kasci, Rocky, and I went there on a whim since we were sort of in the neighborhood (if you consider being within 118 miles being “in the neighborhood”, which we did) during our early August Northern California road trip.

If you’ve seen the movie Winchester (I just watched it today), you may be familiar with the broad strokes of the legend-y story of Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune. According to legend (and the movie), after the death of her daughter and husband, Sarah visited a medium who told her she was cursed by all the people Winchester guns had killed and told to move to California and build a house, never stopping, to keep the ghosts at bay.

The movie takes a bit more license with the story, but legend holds the house to be supremely haunted by both protective and unhappy spirits. There is very little historic fact to uphold the legend; Sarah Winchester was the subject of a ton of gossip in San Jose given the bat crap crazy house she was building, and stories may have arisen from that.

Some historians contend Sarah’s continuous building had nothing to do with ghosts or guilt about the Winchester fortune, and everything to do with her belief in Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, and Freemasonry, which actually pretty neatly account for her obsession with certain things like the number 13 and spider webs. One historian insists her obsessive building was to create a giant, Rosicrucian themed puzzle, while another insists her continuous building was an act of charity to keep locals employed. Sarah was notoriously generous with her staff; she paid them well and they were fiercely loyal to her, so not one of them after her death ever confirmed or denied rumors surrounding her and her most interesting house.

Front of the Winchester Mystery House in all its glory

With all that said, the house is pretty amazing. It sits right in the middle of downtown San Jose surrounded by the most beautiful gardens, grounds, fountains, and statues. The front façade is a beautiful Victorian style, and it’s only as you walk around the sides and back that you can see all of the various add-ons, styles, and materials as building continued over the decades. At one point, the house was as tall as 7 stories, but the Great San Francisco Earthquake took care of the top four.I can’t definitively say I had an experience, but from the moment I walked in the energy of the house was disorienting. But it was also hot, narrow, claustrophobic, I hadn’t eaten for hours, and I was probably dehydrated, so….

Back garden of the Winchester Mystery House

As we walked through the first few rooms, I grew more and more disoriented, especially once we entered her claustrophobic séance room which was in the exact center of the house. Leaving that room through a closet (because why wouldn’t you exit a room through a closet – I felt like I was going to Narnia), we passed through the bedroom where she died and into a large open area where I experienced a wall of black moving up over my eyes, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I left the tour at that point, went and had something to eat and drink, and felt better as I explored the exterior grounds.Does that mean I experienced a haunting? Who knows. However, what I will say is one of the employees mentioned sight loss as something people experience in the house. So yeah there’s that.Should you go? Heck yes because it’s ridiculously cool and a great story! Drink lots of water and understand there’s no climate control in the house. Stay with the tour or you could wander forever, and if you have the money, take the secondary tour (it’s only ten dollars more) which gets you into a lot of extra spaces.More information: https://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Ione Hotel - Photo by Kasci Lawrence

Ione Hotel, Ione, CA

What’s a good haunted location tour of the Wild West without at least one brothel? That’s what the current Ione Hotel reportedly once was, with ladies of the evening serving the lonely gentlemen of the California Gold Rush.

The hotel was built in the 1850s as a boarding house for miners and a stagecoach stop, and it has extremely rustic rooms (complete with water closets). In 1910, it was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt. I don’t know when it was a brothel, but claims are it was, and there’s even an image of the madam painted on a brick wall. So there’s that.

One of the rooms supposedly was the sight of a murder during the brothel days and now bears images on the walls and carpets of roses and hummingbirds that won’t go away despite the fact they were never put there and have been painted over repeatedly. I saw them; it was a stretch but it’s a fun legend. There’s also a rumor of a boy drowning in the downstairs well. These are all common stories associated with such buildings. Are they true? No idea.

There are numerous reports of ghostly activity from both guests and employees, but as far as I know, none of us (several of us stayed there) experienced anything except slightly lumpy and uncomfortable beds. I wouldn’t stay there again, but you might have an experience if you visit. If you happen to be in Ione, it’s the only hotel in town anyway. My advice is get your quoted rate in writing and don’t expect anyone to make up your room, be there to give you fresh towels, check you in or out, or anything else. On the plus side, temperatures were about 103, but there were window air conditioning units in the rooms, and there were no bed bugs.

More information: http://www.ionehotel.com/

Preston Castle at sunset in the smoke haze from the Carr fire

​Preston Castle, Ione, CA

Our final destination on our Northern California haunted road trip is a place many people’s bucket list, Preston Castle (and surprise surprise, guess who’s been there? That’s right! Ghost Adventures way back in the early days). We were there for a ghost conference event to raise money for the Preston Castle Foundation, which seeks to preserve the giant, crumbling castle that was opened in about 1895.

The castle served as a reform school for boys aged 7 to 25, and when they closed it, it was because they built a new version right next door complete with a guard tower, razor wire, and a whole bunch of California condors floating above the property.

Preston Castle sits on a sprawling property with many other buildings associated with the school – all also abandoned years ago. It looms over the city of Ione, a beautiful red brick giant from another time.

The castle is in rough shape which is why preservation is so important. It’s a piece of history, and there are many reports of ghostly activity. There are also a ton of bats and owls and heaven knows what else that makes the castle home.

I didn’t have any experiences at the castle, but I know many people have and it’s such a cool and interesting piece of history (and haunted lore), if you have the opportunity, go. There’s a small museum on the first floor, and even walking around the outside of the castle is pretty darn impressive. If you are able to go in beyond the museum, I recommend dressing in sturdy shoes and being prepared for dust, bat guano, bats, and owl feces. If the opportunity arises, go.

More information: http://www.prestoncastle.com/

Peeking through a doorway in Preston Castle

]]>Tue, 07 Aug 2018 01:26:35 GMThttp://www.authorkarenfrazier.com/blog/mom-van-road-trip-photo-albumLast week, Kristen, Kasci, and I piled into Kristen's mom van and took a road trip to Northern California. Our ultimate destination was the haunted Preston Castle in Ione, but somewhere along the way we decided on a side day trip to see the Winchester Mystery House (also haunted) in San Jose.

Here are two examples of petrified wood - one natural and polished on the surface and the other cut and polished into a sphere.

Petrified wood has grounding earth energies, as well as wood energy, so in feng shui they would work well in both earth and wood areas of your home. You can also place them to nourish fire areas or metal areas.

Sectors where petrified wood would be auspicious include east (health), southeast (wealth and money), northeast (wisdom, spiritual growth, and education), or southwest (love and relationships). Place petrified wood in these locations with the intention to strengthen these aspects in your life.

Intuition plays an important role for energy healing practitioners. As I grew in my own practice of the energy healing arts, I started to work more intuitively as I tuned into what my healing partners were experiencing.

In my classes and books, I often encourage people new to the healing arts to start to listen to their intuition. While some nod with complete understanding, I notice from others a flare of panic in their eyes.

I get it. When I first started working with energy healing, I was one who looked vaguely panicked. Although I've been intuitive all of my life, I spent a lot of time worrying my intuition would let me down when I most needed it. Fortunately, that has never happened.

New energy healing practitioners learn techniques and tools for practicing their craft. For example, First Degree Reiki practitioners learn basic hand positions for use during sessions. Sound healing practitioners learn bowl layouts, instruments, and tonal patterns. Crystal healing practitioners learn about the specific energies of crystals as well as some basic grid layout and uses. Virtually every energy healing modality teaches specific techniques to new practitioners.

These are all important foundational tools and techniques that allow new energy healing practitioners to enter into sessions with confidence knowing they have techniques they can use to create a safe and positive experience for their healing partners. Without these foundational techniques to impart confidence, a new practitioner may feel anxious entering into a session, and that anxiety can be passed on to the healing partners, which isn't ideal for creating an environment of safety and security throughout the session. However, at some point on your energy healing journey, I strongly encourage you to tune into your intuition and begin working more intuitively in your practice.

Recognizing Your Intuition

Everyone has a Divine Guidance system that communicates with them via intuition. Some people have spent a lifetime ignoring that intuition, however, and it’s gotten really quiet as a result. I was one of those people. I thought I didn’t believe in any of that stuff, so I ignored intuitive hits except for a few REALLY big ones that were impossible to ignore. However, once that belief started to change and I started to listen to and seek guidance from my intuition, it grew stronger and louder. Now I’m shocked I once believed I didn’t have any intuition. I’ve noticed this happening with the energy healers I teach, as well.

If you’re someone who doesn’t believe you have intuition, you may just not recognize it as such yet. Some ways your intuition may be manifesting include:

Persistent thoughts that pop into your head

Flashes or persistent images in your mind’s eye

Sounds or words that appear in your mind

Physical sensations in your hands and body

Differences in audible sensations such as ear pressure, unexplained volume changes, or pitch changes you notice such as in music, the ringing in your ear, or the timber of a voice

Visual disturbances, such as seeing wavy lines, dimming or brightening of light

Sudden changes to the smell in the air around you or the taste in your mouth

Any of your senses may be communicating information to you, or it may come purely mentally through your thoughts or things you see in your mind. It may also appear in dreams or visions, such as dreaming of a healing partner before or after a session or suddenly having that person pop into your mind and seeing something about them. These are all valid ways your intuition speaks to you.

For example, if you have a sudden thought you should use a specific crystal in your session, use it. If an affirmation or intention for your healing partner pops into your mind, incorporate it in your session. If you suddenly feel you need to offer a visualization for your healing partner while she's on the table, share it. If you feel you need to sound a specific singing bowl, do it. If you feel you need to move your hands and energy in a specific pattern, do so. These are examples of guidance, coming in to help your healing partner receive exactly what she needs when she is in your healing space.

Exercises for Developing Intuition

The following exercises can help you to develop your intuition. I recommend either working on yourself or a pet, or inviting a trusted friend in to be a healing partner who engages in the session to help you develop your intuition. If you work with a healing partner for this, realize these practice sessions are for your benefit and shouldn’t be treated as a regular energy healing session. Always give thanks to your intuition when it guides you.

Minds Eye Intuition

This exercise may help you learn to recognize intuitive thoughts and feelings.

With your practice partner on the table on his or her back, stand at his head with your hands in prayer position. Close your eyes.

Ask silently or aloud, “Please show me where to place my hands" or "Please show me which crystal to use/bowl to play/etc."

Wait silently until a thought pops into your head about where to place your hands. Move to that position and place your hands there saying in your mind, “Thank you.” If you see a specific color, get a crystal of that color (or the specific crystal if it pops into your head), etc.

Now, with your hands still in that position, after a few minutes ask, “Show me where to place my hands.”

Continue for 30 minutes, or until you feel guided to stop.

Hand Sensations

This is an exercise we actually practice in my classes. Most people are surprised at how easily it works for them.

With your healing partner lying on the table on her back, stand at her head with your hands in prayer position. Rub your hands together lightly.

Notice any changes in sensation in your hand, such as heat, cold, tingling, pressure, or a sense of deadness. When you feel this, stop and place your hands there for three minutes. Then, start where you left off and continue scanning down the body to the root chakra, stopping as needed.

Then, start at the right shoulder and scan down the arm to the fingers doing the same thing.

Repeat on the left side.

Start on the right hip and scan with your hand down the leg, across the knee, to the ankle and the feet pausing to place your hands for three minutes wherever you notice changes in sensation.

Some people receive intuitive information empathically, that is, there bodies and emotions tell them what they need to know.

With your healing partner lying on the table on his back, stand at his head with your hands in prayer position.

Ask, “Please, what is needed here?”

Now close your eyes and pay careful attention to your own body.

As soon as you notice any sensation in your body – pressure, pain, tingling, itching, coolness, or heat, etc. – no matter how light or how brief, move to that point on your healing partner’s body and place your hands there for three minutes.

Close your eyes and ask” What is needed here, please?” again.

Move to where the next sensation in your own body is on your healing partner.

Continue for 30 minutes, or until you no longer notice any sensations in your own body.

Return to the crown chakra and with your hands in prayer position, give thanks to your intuition and your healing partner.

Visual Changes

Visual changes may be subtle, but they can also indicate where you need to work on your healing partner.

Stand at your healing partner’s head with your hands in prayer position.

With your eyes open, ask, “Show me what I need to see.”

Now, starting at the crown, scan your eyes down your healing partner’s midline, looking for any changes in your vision at all, such as flutters, waves, color tints, or changes in light or focus. Where you see one, stop, step to that spot, and place your hands for three minutes.

Continuing from where you are, ask again, “Show me what I need to see.”

Continue visually scanning down the midline through the chakras, stopping where needed.

Then, visually scan from the right shoulder, down the arms to the fingertips and do the same on the left.

Starting at the right hip, visually scan from the hip down the leg to the tips of the toes, stopping where needed. Do the same on the right side.

Audible Changes

I find using tingshas or a singing bowl are the best way to start to understand audible changes.

Strike the bowl or the tingshas and hold it down an inch or two above your healing partner’s body. Holding it there and striking as necessary to refresh the sound (do this lightly around their ears), listen for warbles, noticeable volume changes, pitch drop offs, dissonance, or other changes in sound.

Where you hear it, set down your instrument and hold your hand for three minutes.

Move first crown to root chakra down the midline, then from the right shoulder down to the fingertips, left shoulder down to fingertips, right hip down leg to tips of toes, and left hip down legs to tips of toes, pausing as needed to hold your hands on spots where you notice this.

Other Senses

You can pay attention for other physical changes by running the receiving (non-dominant) hand down the body about an inch above it in the pattern noted in the hand sensations section, noticing any of the following changes:

Changes to pressure, volume, or pitch of ambient noise or ringing in the ears

Differences in the smell of the air

Differences in changes of the taste in your mouth

Differences in other sensations such as changes in temperature on your skin, goose bumps, chills, or feelings of pressure on any part of your body

I recommend practicing all of these several times with different practice partners to see which of these provide the strongest feedback. Once you feel confident in recognizing the changes, start to incorporate them in your practice session, knowing that you can always return to your foundational techniques if you feel you aren’t receiving intuitive information.

As always, I’m here for questions and support. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can help.

This daily singing bowl meditation is adapted from recommendations and a poem by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh as relayed by author Frank Perry in his book Himalayan Sound Revelations. Thich Nhat Hanh recommends performing this short meditation twice each day in the morning and in the evening, and that you view the bowl as a sacred friend who is there to help you be mindful.

You can use any type of a singing bowl, although the Himalayan bronze singing bowls are believed by Buddhist monks to transmit the frequency of OM, which is the fundamental sound of the universe and are what were originally intended for use with this meditation. Ringing or singing the bowls transmits the dharma, or the principle of cosmic order.

Bow to the bowl with hands in prayer position.

Strike the bowl.

Breathe in as the bowl sounds and say silently, "Body, speech, and mind held in perfect oneness."

Breathe out while the bowl continues to sound and say silently, "I send my heart along with the sound of the bell."

Strike the bowl again.

Breathe in as it sounds and say silently, "May the hearers awaken from forgetfulness."

Breathe out while it is still sounding and say silently, "and transcend all anxiety and sorrow."

Half strike the bowl by striking it and allowing the stick to rest against the side of the bowl to dampen the sound.

Lift the bowl in an upturned palm and visualize it as a lotus with a jewel in the center.

Strike the bowl again.

Breathe in as the bowl sounds, saying silently, "Listen, listen."

Breathe out as the bowl still sounds, saying silently, "This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home."

Repeat steps 10 through 12 for two more strikes, so three full strikes.

Replace the bowl on its cushion.

Bow to the bowl with hands in prayer position.

Here's the audio so you can hear what it sounds like:

Body, Speech, and Mind in Perfect Onenessby Thich Nhat Hanh

Body, speech and mind in perfect oneness,I send my heart along with the sound of the bell.

May the hearers awaken from forgetfulnessAnd transcend the path of anxiety and sorrow.

Those who are listening to the sound of the bellsilently recite the following gatha:

"Listen, listen,This wonderful sound brings me backto my true home."

As we listen to the sound of the bell,the voice of the Buddha inside,calling each of us back to our true home,the place of peace, tolerance and love.

Meditation Transcript

Close your eyes and relax. Breathe deeply into your stomach, noticing your breath as it flows in through your nose, traveling down through your lungs and deeply into your stomach. Now, exhale through your mouth. Focus on your breathing and allow the sounds of the music to relax you deeply.

Image you are standing on a sandy beach. Gulls fly overhead, and you can see dolphins leaping in the ocean at a distance. Notice how blue the sky is. Feel the warm, gritty sand sifting between your toes and notice the pleasant heat of the sun warming your head and your shoulders.

Breathe in the salty air as you listen to the crashing of the waves on the beach. When you feel relaxed, ready, and comfortable, begin walking along the beach. As you walk, notice the sights and sounds all around you as you alternately gaze out at the ocean and at the rough, rocky coastline on the other side of the sand.

Notice in the distance the opening to a cave appears in the rocks. As you walk towards it, see the cave’s opening drawing nearer, and a glowing, red light is coming from it. Cross the sand to the opening of the cave and stand in the red light at its entrance. Allow the light to bathe you as you stand at the entrance. Notice the cool, damp air coming from the cave on your front while the heat from the sun still warms your back.

Step into the cave, into the glowing, red light and allow it to surround you. Take a moment to adjust to the light as you notice you can still hear the distant sound of the ocean waves cutting through the cave’s deep hush. Ahead of you, you spot the source of the red glow – it is coming from a cavern. When you are ready, walk forward and enter the cavern.

The cavern is full of glowing, red crystals. They are everywhere – on the walls, on the ceiling. They are all shades of red and all shapes. There are deep red stalactites, lighter red stalagmites, and crystals in every size, color, and opacity. Feel the power of these red crystals and allow it to surround you. Notice how their vibration and energy affects every cell of your body, causing you to vibrate in tandem with them. Bathe in the light and vibration of the cavern, allowing it to surround you completely.

When you are ready, step out of the glowing red crystal cavern and back into the cool cave. Notice in the same direction you were traveling that up ahead you can see a faint, orange glow coming from further down the cave. Step away from the red glow and walk towards the orange glow, noticing as the red fades and the orange intensifies. The air grows cooler here and the distant roar of the ocean fades even more as the cave’s hush takes over. Walk closer and closer to the orange glow until you can see its source – a cavern off to one side that is emitting a vivid orange light.

Step out of the cave and into the cavern. Notice it is filled with vibrant orange crystals in every shade, size, shape, and opacity. They cover the walls. They cover the floor and the ceiling. They are lit from within, emitting a deep, orange glow and vibration. Close your eyes and bathe in the glow and vibration of the crystals, feeling them enter through your naval region and permeate into every cell in your body until you are vibrating in tune with the orange crystals. As you vibrate in tune with them, you become the orange light, and you no longer know where your light leaves off and the light from the crystals begins. Take the time to fully enjoy the feeling here in this cavern. When you’re ready, open your eyes and step out of the cavern and back into the cool depths of the cave. Continue walking, away from the orange glow.

Ahead of you, notice there is a golden yellow glow. It’s faint at first, but as you walk towards it the glow intensifies until it starts to envelope you completely. You can no longer hear the sound of the ocean. Instead, you are immersed in the deep silence of the cave, where all you can hear are your footsteps and your deep, relaxed breaths.

As you approach the golden yellow light, you notice it is coming from a cavern off to one side of the cave. Step into the cavern and allow the golden light to surround you completely. Notice the cavern is filled with golden and yellow crystals in every shape, size, shade, and opacity. The crystals are everywhere – not an inch of that cavern is free of the beautiful crystals. Close your eyes and allow the light to fill all of you, entering through your solar plexus and on your breath as it flows through your lungs, into your heart, and your heart pumps the vibration of the yellow crystals through every cell of your body. Become one with the golden light. Bask in it and allow it to fill you completely.

When you’re ready, step out of the cavern and back into the main area of the cave. Give thanks to the golden light and travel more deeply into the cave, noticing the darkness and cool air around you as the golden light fades behind you. Notice as you travel the cave floor has started to slope upward now. Ahead, you see light from outside entering the cave and notice there is a small crack, just big enough for you to fit through and back out into the light.

When you’re ready, approach the crack to the outside and squeeze through. It’s a tight fit, but you can just wriggle through. Suddenly, you’re surrounded by the bright light of the sun. Allow the time for your eyes to adjust and feel the sunlight warm your cooled skin and the light fill you. Notice a path continues from the cave, up the rocky hillside at a steep incline. Follow the path and observe up ahead a plateau off to the side of the path with green light streaming from a copse of trees.

Approach the glowing green light. Step off the path and through the small copse of trees. As you pass through the trees, you step into a clearing. In the clearing is a garden of green crystals. Green crystals of every shape, size, and shade are everywhere – carpeting the ground on which you step, growing up the trunks of trees, and forming a canopy over your head. In the clearing is a green crystal bench underneath a tree made of green crystals. Walk across the carpet of green crystals and take a seat on the bench. Close your eyes and bask in the vibration and light from all of the crystals, allowing it to enter through your heart and your breath. Feel the vibration and light fill every blood vessel and your entire body. Bask in the light.

When you’re ready, open your eyes. As you sit on the bench, notice a being is walking towards you across the carpet of green crystals. You recognize this being somewhere deep inside, and you feel the love welling up as you remember who it is. This is your guide, one who has been with you in every lifetime and in between. Stand up and greet your guide. Embrace your guide and feel the love and support flowing between the two of you. If you cannot recall your guide’s name, ask. Thank your guide for all of the support he or she has given you. Then, when you are ready, invite your guide to accompany you as you continue on your journey.

With your guide by your side, step back through the copse of trees and onto the rocky path once more. Continue moving up the hill, noticing the blue of the sky and the sound of birds singing nearby. Notice the rocks of the path are slowly becoming lush, green grass, and the path while still going uphill is gentler now. Feel the grass gently shifting under your feet, and notice up ahead a small copse of trees off to the side. Walk towards them with your guide.

When you get to the trees, with your guide by your side, step through them and enter into an area completely made of blue crystals in every shape, size, shade of blue, and opacity. There is blue under your feet and all around. There are blue crystal flowers growing from the blue crystal ground, and trees that are entirely blue crystals. Close your eyes and bask in the vibration of the blue, allowing the blue light to wash over you and the vibration of the crystals to enter through your throat and in through your breath, flowing throughout every cell of your body. Bask in the light and vibration of the blue crystals.

When you are ready, open your eyes and look around at the blue crystals one last time before you step back out through the copse of the trees and onto the grassy path once again. As you look up, notice the path continues up the hill again. Follow the path with your guide, enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, and feeling of nature as you walk.

Notice ahead of you is a huge copse of trees directly in your path. From the trees, you can see a violet light glowing between the trunks and branches. Step with your guide through the trees. You are in a clearing completely surrounded by purple and violet crystals in every shape, size, and shade. They are all around you – on the ground, dripping from branches of trees, and growing as trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Close your eyes and feel the violet light coming from the crystals enter through your forehead and on your breath. Notice the vibration filling every aspect of you. Become one with the violet light.

When you are ready, along with your guide continue through the violet area. Notice a tall copse of violet crystal trees on the other side and walk towards it. Step through the copse and out onto the path. Notice the path goes up steeply now, moving to the hilltop that is covered in a fluffy white cloud so you can’t see it.

Walk with your guide on the path, moving up the hill towards the mist. As you get closer to the top, the fog gets thicker, but you can see light coming through from the very top. Step out of the fog with your guide and notice you are in a beautiful garden glowing with white crystals everywhere. Ahead of you is a giant temple made of clear crystal with crystal steps leading up to it.

Enter the temple and notice the cool air inside. Take in the beautiful crystal temple, noticing all of the details: the columns, the altar, the beautiful crystal floors.

Notice at the far side of the giant temple hall is a door. This is your healing and meditation room. Walk across the cool crystal floor and open the door. The room beyond is your healing room. Notice how it looks. Is there a table? A chair? Are there windows? Are there symbols on the walls, floor, or ceiling? What is the view from the windows? Are their curtains? What is on the walls and on the shelves? This is your space to create as you will, and you can come here during distance sessions to work with your healing partners. You can make this anything you want and come here whenever you want. It may have a comfy chair where you can meditate, or a fireplace where you can go and sit and study important works or have a chat with your guide. What this room in your temple is is entirely up to you.

When you are ready, embrace your guide and thank him or her for coming with you to this room. You will part ways for now here, but know you can always return to the temple or any of the crystal gardens to talk with your guide anytime you wish. Take one last look around your room and step back out through the door and into the main hall of the temple. From there, walk across the hall, out the temple door, and down the steps.

Go back into the mist and down the hill, passing through the purple garden and heading down past the copse of trees where the blue crystals are, past the copse of trees where the green crystals are. Squeeze back through the hole in the rocks and back into the cave. Walk through the cave, passing the golden cavern, then the orange cavern, and then the red cavern and feeling their vibration reach out to you as you pass. Step back through the cave entrance and on to the beach once again.

Notice the warmth of the sun on your face now and feel the sand between your toes. Listen to the crash of the ocean for a few minutes before you return your attention to your breath once again. Notice as you breathe in through your nose, deeply, and then out through your mouth. Take all the time you need to enter your body once again, wiggling your fingers and toes first, followed by larger stretches. When you are ready, open your eyes.